


cause all’s fair in love and war

by someoneyouloved



Series: jiara july 2020 [3]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson, Angst, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, PJO AU, Romance, Slow Burn, also this was supposed to be a oneshot btw, basically percabeth but make it jiara, but they do what they want sooo, lots of angst and banter and denial of feelings, the percy jackson AU where jj and kiara hate each other until they don’t
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someoneyouloved/pseuds/someoneyouloved
Summary: It’s when JJ has Kiara pinned up against a tree during a game of capture the flag, a hand pressed to her throat and his lips tracing a line of kisses along her collarbone, that she tries to remember why she ever hated him in the first place.It seems silly, all those years of pranks and taunts and words wrapped in barbed wire.Because now, Kiara’s pretty sure that she’s in love with him.There’s just one problem: she’s pretty sure that he’ll never, ever, love her back.—or the percy jackson AU where jj and kiara really, really hate each other... until they don’t.
Relationships: JJ & Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Series: jiara july 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849102
Comments: 18
Kudos: 88
Collections: Jiara July Jubilee





	cause all’s fair in love and war

**Author's Note:**

> literally just finished writing and editing this, so pls forgive any mistakes, but i am so excited for this AU you have no idea! percy jackson is one of my all time favorite series, and the dynamic between percy and annabeth reminds me of jiara so much that i just HAD to write this. it was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but it quickly got out of control, so now it’s going to be a five part story (one for each year they’re at camp). anyways, i hope y’all enjoy this first chapter, please leave kudos/comment if you do, as well as any requests for things you want to see from this chaotic duo in the future because i need ideas lol. 
> 
> also, there are brief mentions of child abuse in this, but it’s nothing more than what happens in the show.

When JJ and Kiara first met, they hated each other.

To be fair, children of Poseidon and Ares weren’t known for getting along, but JJ and Kiara took that rivalry to an extreme. 

JJ had lived at Camp Half-Blood since he was seven, after his mother had left him on Half-Blood Hill in the middle of a thunderstorm and never came back. So, despite being only twelve, he was one of the most senior campers, and the other kids had learned not to mention the bruises he’d had when he first arrived or how JJ never went home for the holidays. 

At first, he’d been sent to live in the Hermes cabin along with all of the other demigods who hadn’t been claimed by their godly parent. JJ, like the dozens of kids he now roomed with, had been left in limbo, wondering who his father was. 

The truth was, JJ hadn’t minded the Hermes Cabin. Sure, there was no privacy and he’d often woken up to another camper’s foot in his face, but he’d liked the inherent comradery that came with not knowing where you truly belonged. They’d all looked out for each other, planned pranks and how to steal the best stuff from the camp store.

And JJ was good at those kind of things: had learned as a child how to sneak through a room without being seen or heard, how to swipe candy bars from gas station counters without getting caught. So, he wouldn’t have been surprised if his father _was_ Hermes. 

He’d thought about other options too, of course. Zeus or Poseidon felt too important, but being a son of Dionysus would be cool, or maybe Hephaestus since he’d always liked weapons class. 

Honestly, JJ hadn’t cared _who_ his father was, or if they never claimed him. Anything was better than Luke.

His mom had always told him that Luke wasn’t his real father, but that was mostly when she was crying after he‘d pushed her down the stairs or slammed her head into the wall, and JJ had already learned that his mother was very good at pretending, so he hadn’t really believed her. 

She was good at lying, too, because she’d promised JJ she would come back for him, and she certainly hadn’t done that, had she?

But Chiron had explained all of it to him, and JJ had realized his mother was telling the truth all those years. Luke _wasn’t_ his real father, instead it was some all-powerful Greek god that he’d never met. Go figure.

After nearly a year at Camp Half-Blood, JJ had figured that if he hadn’t been claimed yet, he never would be.

Until a snotty son of Demeter made a comment about the _loser campers_ who didn’t know who their godly parent was, and JJ punched him in the nose, right in the middle of the mess hall at dinner. 

The kid had screamed, clutched at his bleeding nose with his hands, and JJ’s fist was burning, but everyone in the hall went quiet as a glowing red boar appeared above his head. Then the Ares table started clapping and cheering, and JJ was incorporated into their ranks. 

If he’s being honest, getting claimed hadn’t made him feel anymore connected to his dad than before. He still hadn’t directly acknowledged JJ’s existence, after all.

But it fit, because JJ has always had a temper. And he’d gotten plenty of real-life experience on how to throw and take a punch from his step-father. 

After that, his life is fairly normal, or as normal as life can be for a half-blood. He’s one of the youngest Ares campers, so the older kids tend to dote on him, bully other campers into giving him extra helpings of dessert and threatening anyone who tries to mess with him. 

It was all going great, and then Kiara arrived.

She’s twelve too, but unlike JJ, her arrival at Camp Half-Blood is relatively late. Most campers her age would have been killed by monsters, or moved on with their lives without knowing they were a half-blood, likely because they were a child of a minor god. 

Kiara’s a few inches shorter than him, with dark skin, long legs, and a head of messy black curls. She’s pretty, and confident, and very very sure of herself— the exact opposite of JJ when he first arrived.

And he tries to be nice at first, he does. Chiron recruits him to give her a tour of the campgrounds, but Kiara takes one look at JJ with his tattered clothes and bruised knuckles and he can already tell _exactly_ what she’s thinking. 

Kids of Ares have a reputation, one Kiara is somehow aware of. 

Maybe that’s why JJ immediately resents her, or maybe it’s because two days later, when he tugs on a piece of her hair during training, a literal geyser blasts out of the hard, dry earth of the arena and sprays him in the face.

And JJ doesn’t need the bright, glowing trident that appears over Kiara’s head to know what _that_ means.

She’s a daughter of Poseidon.

So, maybe JJ resents her for all the undeserved favoritism it gets her, the way people talk about Kiara like she’s a god herself, how she definitely doesn’t seem to mind the extra attention when she walks to her empty table in the mess hall that evening with her head held high. 

Or maybe it’s because it took only two days for her father to claim her as his own, while JJ had to wait a year and _punch_ a kid to get claimed by his. 

She has a mom too— a nice-looking woman who kisses Kiara on the cheek and hugs her when she drops her off.

And JJ doesn’t mean for it to happen, but Kiara kind of becomes a reminder of everything he doesn’t have. He knows it’s irrational to blame her for his own misfortunes, but JJ is a child of Ares, and being rational isn’t a requirement. 

So, he decides that he hates Kiara Carrera, and that’s that.

✘✘✘

Normally, Kiara isn’t a very _angry_ person.

Sure, she gets mad, because everyone does, but she likes to think that in general, she’s a pretty easy person to get along with. She has a _make love, not war_ pin on her backpack, for Gods sake.

But then she meets JJ Maybank, and all of that goes right out the window.

The truth is, her arrival at Camp Half-Blood is more overwhelming than Kiara lets on. Because she’s spent her entire life thinking her dad was this sailor who got lost at sea, but after a Chimera crashes into the living room of their small, studio apartment, her mother is forced to tell her that it’s a _bit_ more complicated than that. 

It turns out complicated translates to her being the daughter of a literal Greek god, like the kind that she did projects on in middle school. Because apparently that’s a _thing_ now, ancient gods and monsters that want to kill her. 

Her mother explains all of this in the car as they’re fleeing their apartment, the Chimera chasing them down I-89, and maybe it’s because Kiara’s heart feels like it’s about to jump out of her chest, but it all just seems like a bad practical joke. 

Her mother has always been over-protective, insisting she be home before six and having Kiara’s location linked to her phone, but she’d assumed that was just typical single-mom behavior.

So, when she brings Kiara to a summer camp in the middle of upstate New York and _leaves her there,_ it all just seems a little out of character. But her mom’s trying to pretend like she’s not crying as she tells Kiara that a man who’s _half-horse_ will explain everything to her, and she doesn’t want to make this any harder than it already is. 

Still, she tells her mom that she doesn’t want to leave her, because she lives in this little apartment in the middle of New York City all by herself and before this Kiara was kind of her whole world, which just makes her mother cry harder and pull her into a painfully tight hug, whispering into her hair that _this is for the best._

So, Kiara squares her shoulders and puts a smile on her face and pretends that this is all normal. She’s been to a new school nearly every year, because bad things just tend to happen to her and teenage girls are mean as hell, so she knows exactly what to do. Act like you belong somewhere, and people will typically start to believe it.

It’s all going well, or as well as a life-altering event like this can go, and Kiara actually likes Chiron even with the whole half-horse thing, but then JJ arrives.

Her first thought is that he’s kind of cute— all tousled blond curls and tan skin and baby-blue eyes. 

But then he opens his mouth, and the illusion is ruined.

It’s not like he’s _rude_ per say, but Kiara sees how his gaze flicks to her too-clean Converse and brand-name clothing without any rips or tears, and she already knows what he’s thinking. It’s a little ironic, because she’s usually on the other end of this dynamic, having spent the majority of her life at expensive private schools with girls who shop on Fifth Avenue with their parent’s credit cards and never wear the same pair of shoes twice. 

It creates an automatic barrier between them, and JJ’s voice is cold and clipped as he gives her a tour of the campgrounds. She’s not sure why Chiron asked _him_ to welcome her, because JJ’s not exactly _warm_ , but maybe it’s just Kiara that he finds offputting.

But she’s supposed to be acting like she belongs, so Kiara contains her excitement at everything she sees, like the lava wall and sparkling lake and the campfire where JJ tells her they have sing-a-longs, and bites her tongue when he shoves a sleeping bag into her arms and leaves her in the doorway of the Hermes cabin.

Kiara hates her first night at camp, sandwiched between sweaty teenagers who kick her in the legs and won’t stop talking as she’s trying to sleep. It might contribute to her irritable mood the next morning, but Kiara’s too tired to be self-aware, so when JJ pulls her hair while they’re listening to Chiron talk during weapons class, she kind of just... loses it.

She honestly has no control over what happens next, but then there’s a tug in her gut and water sprays JJ in the face, and Kiara doesn’t understand why everyone’s staring at her, including the soaked blonde boy who’s now lying on the ground, until the glowing trident appears above her head.

Kiara sits alone at dinner that night, finds herself missing the constant chaos and noise of the Hermes cabin as she struggles to fall asleep in her empty cabin. The silence is too loud, and she can hear the ocean in the distance, but she’s too scared of the camp harpies to sneak out. 

And apparently, her being a daughter of Poseidon is just what JJ needed to solidify his hatred of her. 

He’s always the first to laugh when she messes up in class, smirks when Chiron has to help her adjust her grip on a dagger, cracks a joke about her brain being water-logged when she misses the target during archery.

At first, Kiara tells herself that it’s just hazing, that she shouldn’t let some scrawny boy whose first instinct is to punch anything that moves get to her. He’s probably just pissed about her pummeling him with a geyser, will get bored and give up when she doesn’t retaliate. 

But then JJ ups his game. 

First, he replaces her shampoo so that it temporarily dyes Kiara’s hair blue, which wouldn’t have been a big deal if her mother hadn’t come to visit the next day and almost fainted when she saw it. Kiara gets him back, though, conspires with some of the Aphrodite girls to replace JJ’s sunscreen with one that makes it’s victim break out in hives. Apparently, they’d created it after some girl got cheated on by her boyfriend back home. 

It starts an unintentional prank war between them, which culminates into JJ stranding a sleeping Kiara in the middle of the canoe lake. And she would normally just swim back to shore, but it’s five in the morning, and the water’s freezing, and she’s _not_ about to give JJ the satisfaction.

So, Kiara screams herself hoarse until the Naiads rise to surface, uses her weight as a daughter of Poseidon when she asks them to guide her back to shore. She’s still late for class, drops a piece of seaweed down JJ’s back when he’s not looking.

Eventually, Chiron has to step in because he’s worried they might do something to permanently injure each other, and they’re both banned from pranking for the foreseeable future.

In some ways, it only fuels the fire, because JJ makes it his personal mission to tease her as much as he can without Chiron noticing. But Kiara forces herself to bite her tongue, ignores JJ’s attempts to get a rise out of her.

He soon learns that the small things are what piss Kiara off the most— tripping her in the mess hall, laughing when she singes her eyebrows off while forging a sword, beating her team during capture the flag.

It’s the last one that really gets under her skin, because JJ is too damn cocky for his own good, and it’s not Kiara’s fault that he has an entire cabin of kids who specialize in battle strategy to back him up. She’s all by herself— honestly, the whole game’s rigged.

He also cheats, though Chiron doesn’t believe Kiara when she tells him this. He sets booby traps designed specifically for her, goads her into fights to distract her so that his team gets the flag.

It all boils over one day, when JJ shoves Kiara in the stomach with the butt of his sword and she takes a tumble down a hill and into the stream. She’s soaking wet by the end of it, and JJ actually looks kind of sorry when he sees her, her skin covered in scratches and mud and sticks.

That all changes a moment later, when Kiara dumps the entire stream on his head. 

JJ’s team is distracted by the following screaming match between him and Kiara and end up losing the flag, which feels like a victory until Chiron comes to visit them in the infirmary that evening.

Kiara’s definitely the worse for wear— she’s still soaked, covered in cuts and scraps from her fall, and her stomach is aching where JJ hit her with his sword, the ambrosia just starting to kick in.

JJ has a twisted ankle, apparently, even though he seemed perfectly fine when they were fighting. She assumes he’s faking it to make her look bad, until he appears with a wrap on his foot that smells like the herbs the satyrs use to heal.

“How’d you do that?” Kiara asks without thinking, frowning at his ankle. 

“Fucking Apollo kids,” JJ offers as an explanation, and she bites her tongue so that she doesn’t reprimand him for swearing. They’re only twelve, but JJ already has a talent for it.

Kiara frowns, momentarily forgetting that she isn’t supposed to care. “You fought me at full strength with a twisted ankle?” 

JJ shrugs, as if it’s nothing. “High pain tolerance, I guess.”

It’s a good thing that Chiron enters the room when he does, because Kiara realizes that she’s never spoken to JJ for this long without screaming at him, and she’s not sure what to do without the familiar barrier of hostility between them. 

It returns in no time, once Chiron starts to give them a speech about _camp camaraderie_ and _setting a good example._ Basically, he’s asking them to stop trying to kill each other.

And Kiara might have been able to accept that, but of course JJ can’t keep his damn mouth shut. “What? I’m not the problem— Kiara’s the one who started it.”

“Excuse me?” She hisses, unable to hold it in any longer. “You’re the one who shoved me down the hill, _you_ started it. You _always_ start it. Honestly, Maybank, what the hell is your problem?”

JJ opens his mouth to answer her, smirking all the while, and she realizes this is exactly what he wanted— for Kiara to finally snap. 

But Chiron clears his throat, interrupting whatever bullshit response JJ was about to give her, his gaze equally hard on both of them as he says, “Enough, both of you. This is _exactly_ what I’m talking about— you two are acting like a bunch of children.“

Kiara ducks her head, shame hot in her chest at his disappointed tone. Chiron’s never been mad at her before, and she finds that she doesn’t like it one bit. Even JJ appears to be somewhat chastised, scratches at the back of his neck with a hand and mumbles out a short _sorry_. 

Kiara’s so busy trying to memorize the image of JJ Maybank actually apologizing that she almost misses what Chiron says next.

“I’ve let this go on for too long, and it ends now. For the next month, you’ll be on chore duty together, no exceptions.”

Kiara opens her mouth to protest, but then she glances at JJ and he’s just staring at the floor, quiet for once, so she decides to drop it.

Still, the moment Chiron’s gone, his momentary lapse in normal pigheaded JJ behavior ends, and he cusses Kiara out under his breath and slams the infirmary door behind him as he leaves. 

So, Kiara’s left lying on a bed in the hospital wing alone, trying to figure out how she’s going to survive an entire month with JJ.

✘✘✘

JJ has to admire Chiron for his choice of punishment, because after two weeks of chore duty with Kiara, he’s regretting ever teasing her in the first place.

Apparently, she’s still under the impression that their current predicament is all JJ’s fault. Not that he’d expected anything different— he doubts Kiara has ever taken responsibility for something in her life.

And maybe if it was someone else, he’d be able to look past the whole Daughter of Poseidon superiority complex, but Kiara doesn’t make it easy to get along with her.

It’s like she’s deliberately getting revenge on him for all the weeks of insults and small annoyances— she _accidentally_ knocks over the bucket of strawberries he’s picking with her hip, bats her eyelashes and acts all innocent when he accuses her of doing it on purpose, flicks hot lava in his direction when they’re doing the dishes, kicks the back of his knee during beach cleanup. One time, when they’re mucking out the stables, she dumps a pile of manure on his head. It takes four showers just to get it all out of his hair, and he reeks for a good week afterward. 

To be fair, JJ isn’t much better. Now that they’re alone most of the time, he doesn’t have to whisper insults under his breath, and he starts referring to Kiara solely as _Kelphead_ and _little miss perfect_ in private. 

He’s also resolved himself to be as unhelpful as possible, because him and Kiara may have to work together, but that doesn’t mean he needs to make it any easier for her. So, he refuses to help her reach high-up pans or lift too-heavy swords, which has the added benefit of pissing her off.

Still, he underestimated Kiara’s ability to be annoying. Before, he’d always been the one to instigate, but she has a natural talent for it that’s actually kind of impressive. Without meaning to, JJ finds himself brainstorming the best ways to get a rise out of her, the exact nickname or insult that will make her hands shake and eyes spark. He wouldn’t describe his time with Kiara as fun, but it’s... something.

Maybe it’s just that she keeps such a strong hold on her emotions, and he really wants to see it break.

In the end, it’s an offhand comment he makes during cleanup duty in the kitchens one night that does it.

JJ’s not quite sure what made him say it, but all of the old material was starting to fall flat, and he needed something to _really_ get under Kiara’s skin. 

“So, what’s it like being the camp’s resident lonely girl? Make friends with the fishes yet, Carrera?”

On the list of harsh things he’s said to her, it doesn’t even make the top ten, but for some reason the comment hits home. JJ’s not sure why— to be honest, it’s a complete fib, because he doesn’t know anyone besides him who actually hates her.

But Kiara’s hands go white on the plate she’s holding, and when she speaks, her voice is ice cold. _“That’s enough.“_

She’s still not looking at him, and maybe that’s why JJ doesn’t have the sense to quit while he’s ahead. “What’s wrong, Princess? Is the fact that you have no friends a sore subject? It’s no secret—”

JJ knows that he’s gone too far as soon as he hears the plate Kiara was holding shatter as it hits the ground, when she wipes a tear from her cheek before turning to face him. 

And that’s where it would normally end, but apparently the leash Kiara had on her emotions has snapped completely, because she clenches her fists and the lava in the sink behind her starts to froth and bubble.

“Kiara, wait—”

JJ didn’t even know there was any water _in_ lava, but before he can talk her down it explodes into the air. He ducks under a table and avoids the spray, but Kiara screams as it hits her in the arm.

When he opens his eyes, she’s standing in the middle of the kitchen, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cradles her arm to her chest. She’s hiding most of it, but even JJ can see that the skin is starting to blister. 

He has no idea what to say, but then Kiara whimpers, and some strange instinct has him moving forward to help her. “Here, Kiara, let me—”

She flinches away before he can touch her, clutches her arm with a hand and shakes her head. “Get away from me, Maybank.”

Her tone is harsher than he’s ever heard it, and JJ takes a step back, raises his hands above his head in surrender. “I’m just trying to help—”

“I don’t _need_ your help,” Kiara snaps, and JJ bites his tongue to hold back his retort. “I’m the loner girl with no friends, remember? I’m used to handling myself.”

“Look, that’s not even true, I don’t know why I said it,” JJ tries to tell her, before he can think about how it sounds almost like an apology. And since when does he care about Kiara’s feelings? 

But it’s clear that the damage is already done. 

“No, you were right,” Kiara says, voice tight and eyes damp. “I don’t have many friends, and you know why? It’s because everyone assumes I’m just some rich, spoiled brat who thinks she’s too cool to hang with them. Because of _you_.” 

JJ’s not sure why, but he suddenly feels guilty. “That’s not what I was trying to do.”

“I don’t care,” Kiara snarls, her gaze cold as she stares JJ down. And if he wasn’t so used to her despising him, he probably would have started begging for mercy right then. “And I don’t need your approval, I’m just wondering what I did to make you hate me this much.”

JJ opens his mouth to say that he doesn’t hate her, not really, but why the hell would Kiara believe him?

“I don’t know,” he says instead, even though deep down, he does. “I just... wanted to knock you down a peg, that’s all. I didn’t realize...”

He trails off after that, not knowing how to finish that sentence without saying something he’d regret. 

His answer still doesn’t get to the _why_ of her question, but JJ’s not about to tell Kiara that he’s jealous, and she doesn’t seem eager to push when she dries her eyes and nods at him once, as if that’s all she needs. 

“Got it. Thanks.”

And just like that, she’s gone.

✘✘✘

Later, JJ sneaks into Kiara’s cabin and leaves a salve for burns on her nightstand that he stole from the camp store.

There’s no note, but he knows that she’ll realize who it’s from.

JJ heard Kiara when she said that she didn’t need his help, and he believes her, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve a little compassion. Even if the lava explosion was mostly her fault.

He doesn’t even really expect her to use it, but Kiara’s arm is raw but healing the next morning at breakfast, and she’s unusually polite afterward. When they’re doing beach cleanup, she doesn’t even yell at JJ for missing a few soda cans, just picks them up and dumps them in her basket. 

And it’s not forgiveness, not quite, but it’s _something_ , even if JJ doesn’t know exactly what.

✘✘✘

It’s common knowledge that JJ Maybank wants nothing more than to go on a quest. 

To be fair, most of the kids at Camp Half-Blood spend their entire lives hoping for that exact thing, but Kiara’s the exception. 

Maybe it’s a lingering effect of her mother’s strict parenting, or that she already gets enough unwanted attention being a daughter of Poseidon, so the commotion surrounding a quest isn’t as appealing. 

JJ’s the opposite— always talking a little louder than he should, cracking jokes at inappropriate times, starting fights just for the hell of it. Maybe it’s a child of Ares thing, but personally, Kiara thinks it’s his way of trying to prove himself, though she’s not sure how or to who. 

But it’s not like the Gods seem to care which of them wants what, because after only two months at camp, Kiara is summoned to the Big House and told she’s been given a quest— by her father. 

“There’s a sea monster that’s been terrorizing a population of Naiads,” Chiron tells her, his hooves tapping on the porch deck like they always do when he’s nervous. “It’s nothing your father couldn’t take care of, but he’s requested that the task of dealing with it would fall to you.”

Kiara has to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying that if it was such a problem, her father could handle it himself. But she knew that wasn’t the point. It was a test, designed specifically for her. She also knew what _deal with it_ meant. 

Chiron seemed nervous to tell her all this— as if Kiara is going to have an identity crisis about her father finally acknowledging her existence. 

The truth is, she has no idea _what_ she’s supposed to be feeling. Kiara had grown up believing her father was a sailor who’d gotten lost at sea, but now he was alive and a _god_ but still very absent from her life, and it feels like a puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit. 

She decides to head to the training arena, hoping to blow off some steam before dinner, but what she doesn’t count on is JJ Maybank, leaning against the porch banister with an expression she’s come to recognize as the one he wears when he’s about to pick a fight. 

And any other day, she would keep walking, but Kiara’s skin starts prickling at the sight of him and she decides that if JJ’s looking for a fight, she’ll be happy to give him one. 

“What are you looking at, Maybank?”

“Nothing,” JJ shrugs, his smirk a little sharper than usual, eyes burning with something that’s almost dangerous. “I was just eavesdropping, and I honestly couldn’t believe my ears. I mean, who in their right mind would give _you_ a quest?”

Kiara honestly agrees with him, but this is JJ, and he’s like a dog with a bone when he senses weakness, so she raises her head a little higher and says, “Well, apparently, my father does. And that’s more than you can say, isn’t it?”

She knows it will get under his skin, because it’s not difficult to get a rise out of JJ, but something about his father really gets him going. 

Still, she’s almost surprised when JJ surges forward until they’re face to face, his fists clenched at his sides as if to stop himself from hitting her. “You really need to learn when to shut your mouth, Carrera.” 

Kiara forces herself not to flinch, to stand her ground as she cocks her head to the side and meets JJ’s hard, burning stare. “What’s wrong? Jealous?”

“Oh, please,” he scoffs, but his voice wavers slightly, and she realizes that’s exactly what this is. JJ’s _jealous_. 

“It’s not my fault I got chosen to go on a quest,” Kiara reminds him, feeling suddenly defensive. He’s still close to her— his breath hot against her face, a different kind of prickly, thick heat radiating off of him. “It’s not even a real one— I didn’t get a prophecy, it’s just a favor for my dad.”

But her attempt at reasoning with him seems to backfire, because JJ’s eyes narrow and the hackles of his shoulder rise, like an animal preparing to pounce. “I’m sorry the request wasn’t delivered to you on a silver platter, Kiara. It must suck to have your father actually acknowledge your existence.”

Kiara’s not sure if JJ means to let that last part slip, because his breath catches and he staggers back a step.

“Is that what this is about?” Kiara asks after a moment of tense silence, kicking at the ground with her dirt-stained converse to avoid his gaze. “Your dad?”

JJ’s entire body goes rigid, and he takes another step back, shaking his head as he goes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“JJ, wait—”

“Have fun on your quest, Kiara,” he says, with a note of resignation. “Make daddy proud and all that— though I’m sure you’ll find some way to screw it up royally.”

Kiara’s not sure what makes her say it, or why she feels guilty all of a sudden, as if _she’s_ the one at fault, but the words are out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

“Then come with me.” 

JJ freezes, turns back around to face her with a confused expression on his face. “What?”

Kiara considers playing it off as nothing, just a slip of the tongue, because repeating herself makes the offer real. And honestly, what is she thinking? JJ can’t even stand to be in the same room as her, why would he want to spend anymore time with her than he has to?

But then she remembers that look in his eyes, the attention-seeking behavior that always seemed a little off, and she says, “If you think that you can do better, than come with me, and we’ll see for ourselves.”

It’s still phrased like a challenge, because she has the sense that accepting handouts from people isn’t something JJ would appreciate. Kiara’s not even sure why she’s doing it— but there’s a part of her that wonders what it would be like to really know JJ, to see past all the cockiness and bravado.

And maybe, if he gets past this whole  
proving himself to his father thing, he won’t hate her as much.

It’s a foolish thought, but now it’s buried itself in her head and she can’t get it out. 

Meanwhile, JJ’s still just staring at her, as if Kiara is some alien life form. “Are you being serious?”

She tilts her head to the side, considers it, and then realizes that she is. “I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t.”

JJ frowns, and she realizes this is the longest she’s ever seen him go without speaking. Honestly, if this was all it took to shut him up, Kiara would have done it ages ago.

“Okay,” JJ says eventually, though he still sounds like he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, as if Kiara’s going to relinquish the offer as soon as he lets his guard down. “I’ll come. But just because I can’t trust you to do it alone. 

Kiara bites back her retort, reminds herself that if JJ and her are going to go on this quest, they’ll have to at least tolerate each other. 

“Oh, and Kiara?” JJ adds as he turns to leave. “Don’t think this makes us friends.”

Kiara sighs, closes her eyes and counts to ten in her head before responding. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

✘✘✘

When Kiara gives JJ a note to meet her at Half-Blood Hill at dawn, she honestly doesn’t expect him to show. But he’s already there when she arrives, talking with the driver who’s supposed to take them to the bus station. 

She quickly learns that JJ is a morning person— bouncing on the balls of his feet, eyes wide and alert, and all without a single cup of coffee. This, of course, is a slight red flag right off the bat, because Kiara is so _not_ a morning person. 

JJ already knows this— because he loves to tease her in class when she’s half-awake and doesn’t have the energy to fight back, and if Kiara had thought her offer to let him come with her would make him more tolerable, she was wrong. 

He won’t stop asking questions, none of which she knows the answer to. _Where are we going? How are we going to get there? Are you gonna kill the thing yourself?_

“I don’t know, JJ,” she says for about the billionth time, and it’s a relief when the car starts and they’re on the road, because Kiara can close her eyes and pretend to be asleep.

Only, at some point, the lack of sleep she’d gotten the night before wins out, because when Kiara opens her eyes they’re parked outside the bus station and JJ is shaking her awake. 

“We’re here, you know,” he says when she tries to bat him away with a hand, his voice oddly amused. “And you drooled all over my shirt.”

Kiara jerks upright at that, and she realizes a beat too late that her head is leaning against JJ’s shoulder, her cheek pressed to his shirt and a line of drool staining the fabric of his grey cut-off tank. 

“Oh, uh, sorry. That’s my bad, I didn’t mean—“

But JJ is just smirking at her, so Kiara stops apologizing and leaves the van before she can do anything else to further embarrass herself. 

JJ follows her out, eyes scanning their surroundings with something like apprehension, his backpack hung low over his shoulders. It’s stupid, but Kiara almost feels guilty at the sight of his tan, worn knapsack covered in holes compared to the new one her mother had bought her at the start of the school year.

“So, where are we going?” JJ asks, interrupting her train of thought, but Kiara recovers quickly and points to the board above them that says a bus for Miami departs in twenty minutes.

The sea monster, apparently called Cetus, had been one of Poseidon’s creations that had gone rogue and was now roaming the seas, terrorizing a population of Naiads off the coast of Florida. 

Kiara’s task was to find the creature and kill it, somehow proving herself as a true daughter of Poseidon. And no, she certainly hasn’t processed all of that. 

She’d explained this all to JJ in the note she’d given him, but he was still staring at the board like he didn’t understand. 

“Uh, sorry, where?” 

She frowns, points at the board again. “Uh, Miami? It’s right there— can’t you read, Maybank?”

“Not really, no. Dyslexia’s a bitch like that.”

Immediately, Kiara’s face starts burning, and she’s not quite sure what to say past a few mumbled apologies. Because fine, JJ might be annoying, but calling someone out like that was a shit move. “I’m sorry, I—”

“It’s all good,” JJ says, shrugging his shoulders. “Not like you knew.”

Kiara has no idea what to say to that either, still isn’t used to JJ being anything but cruel where she’s concerned, so she just nods and heads to the counter to buy tickets. She uses drachmas to pay, and the clerk’s eyes go hazy when he hands her the tickets, a side effect of the Mist. 

“I still find that weird,” she admits to JJ afterward, when he collapses into the seat beside her on the bus, his knee knocking into hers. 

“What?”

“The whole Mist thing,” Kiara explains, wrinkling her nose. “It doesn’t freak you out? That it just... messes with people’s minds?”

“You’ll get used to it,” JJ says, but there’s no animosity in his voice like there would have been previously. Kiara reminds herself that she wouldn’t care if there was. “When I first got to camp, Chiron gave me a glass of nectar, and I thought he was trying to poison me.” 

Kiara laughs despite herself, nudges JJ in the shoulder without thinking. “Honestly, he freaked me out too at first. The whole half-horse thing and all.”

“Eh, Chiron’s a big softie,” JJ murmurs, his smile almost fond. “Wouldn’t hurt a fly. One time, I climbed up to the roof of the camp store, and I thought he was going to kick me in the head with his hooves when I finally got down, but he just patted me on the head and said to be more careful next time. I mean, if—”

JJ breaks off mid-sentence, clearing his throat and shaking his head, the smile fading from his face. 

“What is it?” Kiara asks, frowning at him. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” he says, shrugging his shoulders and turning his head towards the window. 

But JJ’s quiet as the bus pulls out of the station, doesn’t even laugh when Kiara’s head hits the front of the seat as she’s reaching for the gum in her backpack. 

And it’s a bit disconcerting, because she has this idea in her head of who JJ Maybank is supposed to be, and sad and brooding isn’t it.

It’s the first time Kiara thinks she might be in trouble, because the more time she spends with JJ, the more she gets to know about him... it makes her want to know more, not less, and she’d already promised herself that this quest wouldn’t make them friends.

But Kiara just has to keep her distance. If she does that, everything will be fine. 

✘✘✘

It’s dark by the time the bus arrives in Miami, so they find directions to a nearby motel and book a room at the front desk.

One room, two beds. Kiara makes _that_ part quite clear.

They’re both exhausted from the drive, even JJ, who usually can’t sit still to save his own life. But he brushes his teeth at the sink and collapses onto the bed closest to the door, not even bothering to untie his boots.

Kiara almost asks if he’s really going to sleep like that, but she’s tired too, and it feels like the kind of personal question she shouldn’t be wondering about if she’s trying to keep her distance. 

Of course, that’s kind of impossible when there’s only a foot of space between their beds, and with everything going on Kiara’s thoughts aren’t stopping either, so after twenty minutes of tossing and turning she asks, “JJ, are you awake?”

“No.”

“You sound pretty awake.”

Silence. 

Okay, so he’s not in the mood to talk. Fine— she just needs someone to listen.

“Are you nervous? About tomorrow?”

There’s a part of her that’s hoping he’ll say yes, because Kiara’s terrified, and it would be nice to know she’s not alone in that regard. 

But of course, JJ would never admit to being afraid, especially not to her, so he says, “Nope. Go to sleep.” 

“Seriously?” Kiara scoffs, latching onto that familiar irritation his response triggers. “Not even a little bit? You can tell me, you know. I won’t judge.”

“It’s not my fault I’m not a pussy like you—”

“ _Excuse me?!”_ Kiara shrieks, jerking upright in bed and chucking a pillow at JJ’s head. He groans, swears under his breath. “You can’t— you can’t just _say_ that. That’s a total sexist, derogatory response—”

“Fine, fine, sorry,” JJ groans, and he _must_ be tired, because he doesn’t even throw a pillow back at her. “It’s just... we don’t really do that. Talk about our feelings.“

“We could make an exception,” Kiara suggests, too exhausted and anxious to keep arguing. “Just this once.”

“Fine— but only because I’m tired, and the sooner you stop talking, the sooner I can get to sleep.”

Only this time, Kiara’s the one who clams up.

“Are you gonna—”

“What if I can’t do it?” She whispers into the silence of the motel room, despite the pit in her stomach and her shaking hands. Kiara can’t tell what’s scarier— the quest, or being honest and vulnerable with JJ like this, but she knows that she has to tell _someone_. “Kill the thing, I mean.”

It’s the question that’s been haunting her all day, ever since Chiron had told Kiara what her father wanted her to do.

She expects JJ to just roll over and go back to sleep, but he sighs, and then the springs of the bed creek as he turns to face her. 

“Then I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“If you can’t do it, then I will,” JJ repeats, sitting up in bed and leaning towards her, the light coming through the windows illuminating his blue eyes and the sharp angle of his jaw. “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”

“No, that’s not—”

“It’s fine,” he says, cutting Kiara off before she can tell him otherwise. “You don’t have to apologize, I get it. Now, can we please go to sleep?”

Kiara wants to argue, to assure JJ that she would never put him in that position, but he rolls over so his back is turned to her, and she knows the conversation is over. 

It bothers her, though, for some reason, JJ’s words hovering in the back of her mind as she struggles to fall asleep. Because even though Kiara has no idea why she’d asked him to come in the first place, she doesn’t like the idea of JJ only thinking it was as some... sword for hire, or whatever. 

It wasn’t even his quest, it was hers, but the offer to kill the creature hadn’t seemed as if he was trying to steal the spotlight from her. He’d sounded genuine, like he’d meant it.

And what the hell is she supposed to do with that?

✘✘✘

In hindsight, JJ should have known going on a quest with Kiara would ultimately backfire.

It’s just... she’s a daughter of Poseidon, and whether he likes it or not that title carries a certain amount of weight, so he’d figured that if he went along on this quest with her and they succeeded it would prove to his father that he was someone worth noticing.

It’s utterly pathetic, and JJ knows that. He just... can’t help himself.

It had been going fine up until this point— they’d left the bus station and made their way towards the beach Chiron had instructed Kiara to go to, made contact with the Naiads who had apparently done half of their work for them and captured the creature.

However, JJ knew Kiara would never make it easy, so it shouldn’t even surprise him when she takes one look at the sea monster they’re supposed to be hunting with it’s sharp teeth and pointed claws, thrashing in the Naiad’s nets and roaring it’s head off, and says—

“We’re not killing it.”

If JJ could call her crazy, he would, but he still hasn’t mastered the whole speaking underwater thing like Kiara has (she’d created giant bubbles of air around their heads so that they could breath below the surface), so he just shakes his head frantically and mouths the word _no_ a lot.

But there may or may not be tears in Kiara’s eyes as she watches the creature struggle against the nets, her gaze catching on the bloody gashes in it’s side from the Naiad’s attempts at capturing it. 

“It’s hurt, look,” she insists, her voice distant and warped through the bubble of air. “We have to help it.”

_No, we have to kill the damn thing before it breaks free and tears us limb from limb._

Kiara glances at him, must see the words JJ’s not saying, and scoffs, shaking her head.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself,” she says, swimming towards the creature, not even moving to unsheath the dagger strapped to her side. 

Without thinking, JJ goes to grab her and pull her back, because he and Kiara might have their issues but that doesn’t mean he wants to watch her get torn apart by that thing, but he forgets about the bubble of air between them and his hand just bumps the surface. 

Kiara gets closer, murmuring soft words of comfort that JJ can’t hear, and for Gods sakes, what in the Hades does she think she’s doing?

But by some miracle, the monster stops trying to get free, goes still as it watches Kiara approach with something like trust in it’s gaze. Then, she presses a hand to it’s scale-covered side, and the creature relaxes under her touch. 

And it’s almost a little too much for JJ, because sure Kiara can be kinda badass sometimes, but talking to demonic sea creatures is a whole other level of crazy.

Then, she raises her dagger to cut the net, and JJ’s not sure why, but he darts forward at the last second and swims to her side, shaking his head.

And it goes against every one of his instincts, but the last thing they need is for Kiara to be wrong about this and get her head torn off, and he knows something that will work a little better than a dagger. 

So JJ slides his lighter from his pocket, Kiara’s eyes narrowing as she watches him flick it once, the lid worn smooth from his fingers constantly working it. It was a typical lighter most of time, but when you flicked it forward instead of back...

JJ did exactly that, and the lighter morphed into a sword, silver and gleaming with his initials scratched into the hilt. 

The sword was the last thing his mother ever gave him, along with a whispered promise that it would protect him, before she’d left JJ on Half-Blood Hill and never came back. 

He risks a glance at Kiara, even though he‘s reluctant to take his eyes off of the monster, but she just nods and gestures towards the net.

 _Are you sure about this?_ JJ asks her silently, hoping that she would give him permission to slice through the creatures neck instead of the ropes. Which, keep in mind, were the only thing preventing it from killing them. 

But Kiara nods again, her smile encouraging as JJ moves forward and presses the blade to the net. 

It takes a few minutes, because the ropes are made out of some material that’s difficult to cut through, and JJ keeps having to readjust his grip on the sword because his hands are sweaty and he can’t stop thinking about how close the monster’s teeth are to his neck.

When it’s done, Kiara takes his place at the creature’s side and murmurs a few final words to it, the gist of which being _don’t kill anymore Naiad’s, okay?_

The monster blinks twice at Kiara, as if to say thank you, before turning tail and disappearing into the ocean depths.

JJ is just relieved that he didn’t get eaten, but then Kiara looks at him with something like gratitude in her eyes, and he’s not sure why, but it almost makes the whole disaster of a day worth it.

✘✘✘

When JJ and Kiara emerge from the ocean, there’s a man waiting for them on the beach.

He has curly black hair that’s dotted with grey, tan skin that’s the exact same shade as Kiara’s own. His clothes were tattered, worn, and if she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was just a fisherman waiting for the tide to go out. 

But there’s this feeling in the air, like something that’s bigger than them is at work, and Kiara immediately knows who the man is, and that he’s waiting for her. 

JJ pauses at the edge of the water, mumbles an excuse about going to buy tickets for the bus back to camp, and Kiara walks forward alone.

It’s a stupid impulse to ask him to come with her, and she ignores it. 

Because she would never admit it, but Kiara is nervous as she approaches her father, digging her nails into her palms to ignore the fact that her heart feels like it’s stuck somewhere between her throat and her ribcage. 

Her first thought, for some reason, is that the man in front of her doesn’t seem like someone her mother would fall in love with. 

Her mother, who gets off about muddy shoes in the kitchen or a dent in the countertop, who color-codes her planner and never went swimming unless Kiara begged her to. 

But this man, her _father_ , is ragged at best, with the kind of wildness in his blue-green eyes that makes Kiara think of tropical storms and the tidal pools she would play in as a kid. There’s a strange mix of danger and familiarity surrounding him, like her heart is telling her to take a step closer but her brain is screaming at her to run away. 

So yes, she’s more than a little intimidated, and she’s also starting to realize that she just disobeyed a direct order from an ancient Greek god, even if he is her father. 

“I’m sorry—”

The apology escapes before Kiara can stop herself, but Poseidon raises a hand to silence her, and when his eyes find Kiara’s, there’s no anger in his gaze. “It’s alright, I’m not mad.”

Kiara freezes, not expecting the almost fond tone of his voice. “You’re not mad? But... I failed.”

“Did you now?”

“Uh... yes? You told me to kill Cetus, and I couldn’t. I failed.”

“You found an alternative route,” Poseidon says with a shrug, and it might be her imagination, but he sounds almost pleased. “One that didn’t involve killing a creature I created. I have to say, I’m impressed. Most demigods— actually, most people— would not have done what you did.”

And Kiara has no idea what to say to that, not when the conversation is going an entirely different direction than she thought it would, so she just stands there and stares like an idiot.

“I’m proud of you, Kiara,” her father says as he rises to his feet, as smoothly as someone half his age would, his lips turned upwards into something like a smile. “You did well.” 

Kiara opens her mouth to say something, to ask him one of the millions of questions she has, but she blinks and then he’s gone, leaving a lingering scent of salt and ocean breeze where he was standing a moment before.

It does sting a little, like having a bandaid ripped off too soon, but Kiara ignores the burning sensation in her eyes and wipes a stray tear from her cheek before turning towards the road where she knows JJ is waiting.

Kiara wonders if this is what he wants so badly, the validation she just received.

Because while it was nice to hear Poseidon say he was proud of her, Kiara’s still not entirely sure if she knows how she feels about her father. 

Either way, she thinks she understands JJ Maybank a little bit better now.

✘✘✘

It takes Kiara a while to find JJ, but when she does, he’s sitting on the sand, staring out at the ocean with an unreadable expression on his face.

She hesitates before joining him, but JJ barely acknowledges her, his gaze a little harder than usual as he watches the waves hit the sand. 

There’s a flash of silver in JJ’s hands, and Kiara realizes it’s the lighter he’s constantly playing with, the one that had turned into a sword. 

“Where’d you get it?” She asks him, because she’s curious, and there’s this tension in JJ’s shoulders that Kiara isn’t sure she likes. 

JJ clicks the lighter shut, shoves it in his pocket. “It doesn’t matter.” 

His reaction is the exact opposite of _doesn’t matter,_ but Kiara decides to let it go. JJ’s prickly at the best of times, and this doesn’t seem like the moment to push. 

It’s quiet after that, the only sounds the waves hitting the shore and JJ’s shaky breathing, until he opens his mouth and asks, “How was it?”

Kiara already knows what he’s talking about. “Weird, I guess. He wasn’t mad or anything, he actually seemed kind of pleased. I just... yeah, it was weird.”

JJ doesn’t say anything, just hums quietly under his breath, and maybe that’s why Kiara feels like it’s okay to keep talking.

“He told me he was proud of me.”

It feels wrong, to say the words out loud, as if it’s some dirty secret. Still, Kiara’s glad she said it, because some of the tension in her chest eases. 

But then she turns to JJ, sees the pained expression on his face, and she regrets saying anything at all. 

“Must be nice,” he murmurs, his voice low and bitter, so quiet that Kiara’s not sure if she was supposed to hear it. 

“JJ—”

“It’s fine,” he says, cutting her off with a shake of his head. “Forget I said anything.”

“No, seriously, JJ...”

And Kiara knows it’s a bad idea, but she reaches for him as she says the words, her fingers brushing JJ’s where they’re lying on the sand before he jerks his hand back.

“Sorry,” she mutters, her cheeks hot as she draws her own hand back to her chest. “Listen, I know we don’t always get along—”

“That’s an understatement.”

Kiara glares at JJ, but he just shrugs and  
looks back towards the ocean, and she decides that’s his way of telling her to continue. 

“It’s just... you don’t need his approval, JJ. And it’s not wrong to want it, but you can’t let his opinion of you define who you are.”

Honestly, Kiara has no idea why it’s suddenly so important to her that JJ believes that. It’s not like she ever cared before, it’s just that she doesn’t know how to interact with this sad, moody version of him and it’s throwing her for a loop. 

“Says the golden girl,” JJ snorts, some of the bite returning to his voice, though he wipes a tear from his cheek when he thinks she’s not looking. 

Kiara laughs, let’s out a long sigh and digs her hands into the sand. “Yeah, well, I definitely screwed up my perfect record today, didnt I?”

JJ’s head is tilted away from her so she can’t be sure, but Kiara’s pretty sure he smiles at that. “You know, I’m supposed to be the reckless one, not you. Why’d you do it? I mean, I get not wanting to kill it, but...”

Kiara shrugs, not knowing how to explain the strange connection she’d felt with the creature. Because yes, the rational thing to do would have been to kill it, but when it came down to it she just... couldn’t. “Listen, I know it’s weird, but somehow I just knew it wasn’t going to hurt me.”

“Well, that makes one of us.”

Kiara shoves JJ in the shoulder in response, but the action has no real heat behind it, and she’s biting her lip to hold back a grin of her own. And it’s odd, but in the wake of her conversation with her father, she feels like some barrier has thawed between them. 

“JJ?”

“Yeah?”

“I just...” Kiara trails off, but no matter how she rephrases the words in her head, they sound stupid. “I just wanted to say thank you— for helping me today.”

“Oh yeah,” JJ says, his eyes darting to and away from her face in a matter of seconds. “You know, I just didn’t want you to die, so...”

“Oh really?” Kiara asks, unable to hide her smirk at the admission. 

He scoffs, rolls his eyes. “Don’t read too much into it, Carrera. I still hate your guts.”

“Right,” Kiara agrees, though her smirk is more of a smile now. “Same here.”

JJ sighs, rises to his feet and brushes the sand from his shorts before offering her a hand. “‘Cmon, bus is waiting. You coming?”

Kiara glances at his hand, the silver of his rings glinting in the afternoon sun, and then she takes it and let’s him pull her to her feet.

It feels like olive branch of sorts, and it definitely isn’t all sunshine and rainbows between JJ and her after that, but it’s a start.


End file.
